


Please, Take My Hand, We're in Foreign Land

by 221blackandwhitestripes



Series: Nygmobblepot Week 2019 [5]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - World War II, Boys Kissing, Day Five: Different Era, Fluff, General (Military Ranking), Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nygmobblepot Week 2019, Old Friends, Old Lovers, One Shot, Reminiscing, Reunions, Secret Relationship, Spies & Secret Agents, Sweet, very brief though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 18:24:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18266924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/221blackandwhitestripes/pseuds/221blackandwhitestripes
Summary: General Oswald Cobblepot hasn't laid eyes on Edward Nygma since before the war. A lot has changed, but some things will forever remain the same.





	Please, Take My Hand, We're in Foreign Land

**Author's Note:**

> I was struck by this idea at two am and was so pleased with myself when I actually ended up remembering it the next morning. Something soft and sweet to combat some of the angst I've sent your way this week. Please enjoy!

“Are they loaded?” General Oswald Cobblepot asked, glancing down at his man.

“Yes, sir,” Sergeant Penn reported.

“Good,” Oswald hummed. “How are the food-stocks looking?”

“The men are at half-rations, sir,” Penn reported. Oswald frowned at him. “B-but it should be enough for now.”

“Yes, yes, excellent,” Oswald nodded his head. “And the ambassador? When does he arrive?”

“Erm,” Penn looked around nervously. “We were sent word, sir, that his ship was delayed. His arrival will take another week.”

“Damn,” Oswald cursed, gritting his teeth. How irritating, yet _another_ thing gone wrong. He patted down his pockets. “Where’s my pack, sergeant?”

“In your coat, sir,” Penn informed him quickly. “Uhm, there is _one_ other thing I think I ought to inform you of, sir.”

“In a minute,” Oswald dismissed, turning around in search of the monstrosity of a coat he _abhorred_ wearing. He sighed in relief when digging through the pockets was met with the gracious reward of his cigarette packet in-hand. He tipped one out, inserting it between his lips.

“Need a light for that?”

Oswald’s heart seized in his chest, eyes blinking rapidly. It took several moments, but he eventually found it in him to remember how to breathe.

“Edward?” He turned, and yes, there he was, after all this time.

“Um, I was just about to tell you, sir: Nygma is here to see you,” Penn explained in his periphery, sinking into the shadows as Oswald eyed the man made of light.

“Well, it has certainly been a while, Edward,” Oswald stated warmly. Ed smiled, eyes sparkling, and Oswald got that familiar burst of a firecracker in his chest like he could set the world on fire. 

“It certainly has,” Ed agreed.

“Um, sir,” Penn piped up. “M-may I be excused?”

“Yes, yes,” Oswald dismissed, waving him away. “Make sure no one disturbs us. I need time to discuss things with my…” Oswald cocked his head, “Friend.”

“Y-yes, sir.”

The door opened and closed. Oswald played with the cigarette between his lips.

“I think I’ll take that light now.”

Ed smiled, fetching his lighter from his pocket and beckoning Oswald closer. “What happened to the holder?” He asked as he lit the end of the cigarette.

“I had to downgrade, I’m afraid,” Oswald explained, keeping the cigarette still between his fingers as he inhaled the smoke. “War-time and all that.”

Ed smiled, stepping closer now. Oswald sucked on the cigarette harder. “I’ve missed you.”

Oswald’s eyes slipped closed, shaking fingers pulling the cigarette out from between his lips to exhale smoke as he felt soft lips press a tender, heart-fluttering kiss to his cheek, lingering there a moment or two before they pulled away again.

“I’ve missed you too, Edward.” Oswald tapped away the ash of his cigarette, not caring as it landed on the already worse-for-wear carpet below. He’d gotten so used to mud and sludge that he often forgot he was back home - a place of living and not simply surviving.

“May I?” Ed inquired, indicating the cigarette.

“Be my guest,” Oswald passed it to him, watching Ed inhale deeply before smoke poured from his nose, pluming above their heads like new heaven.

“You’ve changed your brand,” Ed noted, handing the cigarette back.

“I have,” Oswald confirmed, taking another drag. “War has indeed changed me.”

Ed smiled, tight-lipped. “It has changed me too.”

“Ah, yes,” Oswald nodded. “Your accent.”

Ed shrugged. “What could I do? It was America. I couldn’t speak German there, let alone _Hungarian_.”

“It’s alright,” Oswald told him, pulling the cigarette from his lips and handing it to him again. Ed took it gratefully, rolling his eyes when Oswald poked his chest with his index finger. “It’s still you in there, I can tell.”

Ed nodded, looking around the room. “May we sit? Only, it’s been a long journey, and I _do_ want to talk.”

“Of course.” Oswald turned, gesturing to the sofas and chairs arranged by the fireplace. “Sit where you like.”

“Next to you, if you give me the choice,” Ed proposed.

“Alright,” Oswald nodded, “I would be amenable to that.”

They sat on the smaller settee together, legs not quite touching but definitely closer than what Oswald would allow his usual company.

But this was not his usual company.

“What happened, Ed?” he asked gently, placing his hand on Ed’s knee. “I don’t mean to pry, but I hope you at least consider us… friends.” The word still left a strange churning sensation in his gut.

“Well,” Ed sighed. “As much as I enjoyed it, it seems spy-work wasn’t meant for me.”

“How so?” Oswald asked, frowning.

“I felt this _compulsion_.” Ed’s leg began to bounce up and down beneath his touch, and Oswald slowly moved his hand away. “A deep need inside me. I left clues everywhere - I was purposefully sloppy. Ended up leading the police right to me.”

“Oh, Edward,” Oswald sighed, resting his head on the man’s shoulder. Ed’s shaky fingers pushed the cigarette between his lips and he breathed smoke once more.

“They managed to pull me out on time, but I was close to…” Ed trailed off, exhaling slowly. “Well, _death,_ I suppose.”

Oswald nodded solemnly, cheek brushing the fabric of Ed’s jacket.

“As you can understand, the commanders weren’t very happy about it, but there was nothing much they could do without admitting they sent a spy, so…” Ed shrugged.

Oswald said nothing, simply easing the last of the cigarette out of Ed’s hand and setting it down in the ashtray on the table.

“What about you, Oswald?” Ed asked, shaking fingers sliding over Oswald’s own. “How did you get here? Last I heard, you were on the battlefield.”

Oswald blinked - bullets, blood, and debris cascading before his eyes, the rotten, bright blue sky swaying above him.

“I… I was wounded,” Oswald managed, breathing deeply. “My leg.”

Ed was quiet, until; “Death has brushed against your side as well, I see. We share that.” 

“We do,” Oswald hummed, eyes flicking to the side to see Ed's already watching him. Testing the waters, Oswald moved an inch closer, chewing the inside of his lip. Ed followed, closing the gap until there was a scarcely a breath between them.

Oswald’s mouth unhinged, searching for something to say. But he found Ed's eyes did not plead for words, but rather something else.

Oswald leaned forward and pressed their lips together, breathing him in. Ed took a moment to respond, his hand carefully carding through Oswald’s hair, hesitancy in his parting gasp.

“I…” Oswald watched Ed’s teeth pull at his bottom lip. “Yes, I have missed this, too.”

Oswald gave a small nod, not daring to look away. “Indeed, I have as well.”

Ed smiled softly. Oswald returned it, taking the chance to drag the pad of his thumb across the man’s sharp cheekbone.

“What now?” Ed asked in the settling silence.

“Tell me about America,” Oswald offered, shifting to fit more comfortably against him.

Ed laughed, nose wrinkling rather adorably. “It is a funny country. They eat bacon and pancakes together for breakfast. Civilians were allowed to keep guns in their homes without a license. Then walked around in these hats.” Ed mimed a large circle around his head, indicating a wide brim.

Oswald frowned. “Did you wear one?”

Ed shook his head vehemently. “No, I wore a bowler.”

Oswald burst out laughing, unable to contain it whilst Ed scowled as if deeply offended.

“It wasn’t all that!” He claimed emphatically.

“I don’t believe you,” Oswald howled. “Did you bring it back with you? You’ll have to show me sometime.”

Ed nodded. “I did. I have a few souvenirs.”

Oswald smiled proudly. “That’s my boy.”

A light flush graced Edward’s cheeks and Oswald delighted in it.

Ed cleared his throat. “What about you?” He looked Oswald over seriously, clasping his hand. “Any good that has come to you during this wretched time?”

“Well,” Oswald tilted his head, contemplating it. “I am a General now. Able to command from home, so to speak.”

“Congratulations,” Ed said, elbowing his side playfully. “I’m not the only boy you tell what to do anymore.”

“No,” Oswald laughed, shaking his head. “You’re not.”

“Oh,” Ed’s eyes seemed to dim slightly as he tilted his head. “So, is there…” Oswald breathed deep. “Anyone?”

“No, Edward,” Oswald shook his head, bolstering a sincere smile. “There’s no one else.”

Ed nodded, almost to himself, lips pressed together. “I would understand if-”

“I know you would,” Oswald told him firmly. “But the answer remains the same.”

Ed exhaled slowly, fingers tugging at his waistcoat. “So, a General? That’s one hell of a pension you’ll be due soon.”

“Soon?” Oswald snorted.

Ed rolled his eyes. “Okay, well, you know what I mean.”

“You should be more careful with your choice of words, Mr Nygma,” Oswald told him factually, lips teasing a smile. Ed rolled his eyes again. He never ceased to be endearing.

“So, what are you doing now? With all this spare time on your hands?” Ed asked, grinning like a wild thing.

“I have decided to become a businessman,” Oswald reported, standing with the help of his hand on Ed’s knee. He made his way to the cabinet.

“Oh? Why is that?” Ed questioned.

“I have a theory,” Oswald explained, opening the cabinet’s doors to reach for the decanter.

“And what is this theory?” Ed played along.

Oswald grabbed two glasses and slowly emptied the remains of the whiskey into them. “We are not going to win the war, Edward.”

The room’s temperature dropped to below freezing. Oswald turned in the silent stillness, examining Ed carefully.

“Excuse me?” he finally squeaked, eyebrows so far up in his hairline, they seemed to be in hibernation.

“I mean it, Ed,” Oswald confirmed seriously. “I can see it in my mind.” Oswald’s eyes slipped closed. “Drawn out as if on a canvas. A mouse standing up to a lion. The walls of defence will fall. A new man will wear the crown. The rivers of blood will wash away, leaving a wasteland of opportunity in its wake.” Oswald opened his eyes and smiled. “And that, my friend, is where I shall thrive.”

“You know, when you talk like that,” Ed began quietly. “You make me believe you.”

“Which is just as it should be,” Oswald quipped astutely, turning to snatch the glasses of whiskey. “Tell me if it’s too much.”

“It looks to me as if it’s just enough,” Ed assessed, holding his hand out for the glass as Oswald made his way back to him.

“There is one other thing I earned during my time away,” Oswald told him mischievously, watching Ed’s eyes twinkle.

“What is it?”

“A nickname,” Oswald replied. “I have now been dubbed: The Penguin.”

“Penguin?” Ed repeated incredulously. “And you allowed this?”

“Only when I realized there would be no way of putting a stop to it,” Oswald replied coolly. “But now, I do believe it suits me.”

Ed tilted his head, eyeing him carefully. “Perhaps you’re right.”

“What an honour that is, coming from you,” Oswald laughed, lifting his drink to his lips and taking a sip. It burned hot and slow, settling pleasantly in his stomach.

Ed smiled at him, patting the spot beside him. Oswald obliged, joining him once more. Ed’s leg pressed firmly against his own. Oswald took a big gulp of his whisky.

“May I ask, Edward,” Oswald licked his lips nervously, chasing the taste of his drink. “What is your plan now?”

Ed pursed his lips. “I’m not sure.” Oswald nodded his understanding. “I have spent so much time with no hope for a future that it never occurred to me that I may need one.”

Oswald threaded their fingers together, squeezing gently. Ed’s breathing shuddered audibly like a carrier train.

“I have no clue what I’m going to do now.”

Oswald clasped Ed’s hand harder, trying his best to keep the man tethered to the world around them, to the safety and the comfort. There was no mud here, only wallpaper.

“I’ll be here,” Oswald stated. “When you need me.”

Edward Nygma had always been there for him. Bright smile, springy curls, flashing eyes. By his side, in his sheets. A stamp-sized photograph safely ensconced in his uniform pocket to be poured over until the early hours of the morning.

Oswald had held onto him with all his might.

Ed exhaled slowly, capturing Oswald’s mind. His gaze remained contemplative, staring steadily at Oswald’s lips. 

Oswald squeezed his hand again, waiting.

“I…” Ed licked his lips, inhaling. “I thought of you. Often.”

Oswald exhaled for the both of them.

It was seamless, pressing their lips together once more, drawing Ed’s bottom lip between his teeth and tugging gently, falling into one another like the years before. Oswald carefully removed Ed’s glass from his other hand, setting it down blindly with his own on the table beside the ashtray.

They gasped for breath, noses pressed together, lips stealing swift kisses from the other like petty thieves in the dead of night.

“I have,” Oswald began, struggling to regain his breath, “ _Waited_ for this.”

“Wait no longer, my love,” Ed murmured softly, arms enveloping him, keeping him close. Oswald's heart cantered a new beat, breaths falling by the wayside as Ed captured his lips again.

They sank into each other, two old flames dancing in the fireplace, holding on for dear life.

“You’ve changed,” Ed noted, hand skimming over scar tissue now, and Oswald didn’t know when he’d allowed that, but he made no move to keep him from continuing.

“You’ve changed too,” Oswald stated, hands skimming Ed’s back. He was met with no wince, no glimmer of pain, only peace. Such a peace they had found in Ed’s new land without bruises and scabs and ‘I’ve fallen down the stairs’.

Ed’s skin whispered ‘stay close to me’ and Oswald obliged, tried to whisper back ‘we’re safe here’ and ‘I couldn’t let you go if I tried’.

Limbs tangled like old string, they seized and shook together. More desperate than last time, when they had insisted they take it slow, keep it memorable, make it count. With these new breaths, Oswald shed his modesties, brushed them away like dust on an old bookshelf. He collapsed in on his love, an avalanche of longing.

Ed’s hand was firm on his thigh, keeping him steady. ‘I won’t let the past hurt you,’ it said. Oswald kissed back his gratitude and tugged on his hair harder.

“Oswald, I’m-” Ed gasped his words into the breathless room, heaving ribs fighting to interlock with each other.

“I know,” Oswald assured him, entwining their fingers again. “I’m here.”

Ed shattered beneath him, an old china plate, and Oswald wondered at the privilege to pick up the pieces before he was shattering as well.

“Are you okay?” Ed asked eventually, a hand in Oswald’s hair, a trembling lip caught between his teeth.

Oswald smiled, indulging his concern. “Better than. I feel I have gone through all the perils of the trenches just to see you, like this, again.” Oswald brushed the hair from Ed’s forehead fondly.

“And I, the treacherous waters of America, it seems,” Ed agreed. “All for you.”

Oswald nodded simply. “All for you.”

Ed stole another kiss, tongue needy, searching for answers Oswald was happy to give.

“Perhaps that is why we were spared,” Oswald whispered in the quiet between their lips, Ed’s large pupils gazing back at him. “Perhaps it was written that we would see each other again.”

Edward smiled. “Perhaps, Oswald, we really are meant for each other.”

Oswald smiled too. “I like the thought of that.” 

Slowly, Ed’s eyes slid away. “So, what now?” Oswald’s heart stampeded down his fingers.

“Perhaps, Edward,” Oswald licked his lips nervously, “If you would allow me, I have a proposal for you?”

“Proposal?” Ed questioned, frowning at him.

“Only business, I’m afraid,” Oswald amended. “You know how it is.”

Ed nodded, understanding. “So, what is your proposal?”

Oswald breathed in and out, hand calling for a cigarette. “If you don’t find somewhere to go… Or if you do, and it doesn’t work out… work for me. _With_ me. You can be my right-hand man. My equal.” He licked his lips once more. “A partner in the way the world will allow.”

Ed’s eyes portrayed nothing, and Oswald felt his heart shrivel under the deep-water pressure, building and building until-

“I think I would like that.”

“You would?” Oswald gasped.

“I’m a free man, now, Oswald,” Ed told him. “There’s nothing left in this world I will allow to hold me back.”

Oswald smiled. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Ed laughed.

“Okay,” Oswald confirmed with a nod.

Ed laughed again, eyes skittering across the floor like loose marbles until something caught their attention. 

“Ozzie…” he began teasingly. “Can I try on your hat.”

Oswald rolled his eyes. “Be my guest, Eddie.”

Ed grinned, boyishly charming. How infuriatingly beautiful.

“How do I look?” Ed asked, having snatched the cap and jammed it down over his larger head.

Oswald contemplated it carefully. “Perhaps green is your colour.”

“I could have told you that,” Ed responded. “I’m gorgeous.”

“Yeah, you are,” Oswald agreed.

Ed shoved him in the ribs playfully.

“Hey!” Oswald squawked. “I meant it!”

“Fine, fine,” Ed giggled. 

“What am I going to do with you?” Oswald sighed, sitting up.

“Keep me, I hope,” Ed voiced, standing above him and offering his hand.

Oswald smiled, letting himself be helped up.

“I would like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked. Ahh, it's nice to have my boys just be in love, and _know_ it, lol. Anyway, if you enjoyed this fic please leave kudos/comments they will be greatly cherished! Please, enjoy the rest of your night/day :)


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